Rain and Comfort
by Fatepaw
Summary: Recently there have been rumors about Tahno and drunken binges so Korra goes to his apartment to give him a present to remind him of who he is. Tahnorra included.


She walked briskly looking at each number of the buildings as she passed. Each one she passed, she realized how marvelous they were, but what could she expect from a pro-bending champion? Golden lights flickered against the buildings. The architecture became more intricate as Korra tread past them. There were more columns and lace like patterns around the entrances. The harsh drizzle of rain slapped against her back, but she paid no mind. _789...791... _She kept walking until she reached 811.

She blinked at the building, slightly shocked. It was darker building than the two beside it, but it was rose higher than them. A iron gate resided in front of the building. Her blue eyes looked past the gate and noticed a door man watching her. She could feel the cone container full of water bedside her breast. It felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. As she pulled open the tall barred gate and door man stood straighter.

"Avatar Korra, it is a pleasure to meet you." The man bowed. Korra strode to the covered entrance where he stood. "Thank you, Sir. Could I get into the building?" Korra asked, unnerved by the professionalism from the gentleman with the mustache. He rose and looked at her directly. "I would like to, but the attendants in this building are of a high status and consider this place their sanctuary from the press and other pressures." He answered. Rain dripped from the roof.

"Oh, I will not be a problem. I just have to give someone something and then I will leave. It will take five minutes, I promise." She insisted, giving him her brightest, most sincere smile. She tried to do the puppy dog eyes, but failed miserably. He looked between her and door before the door man sighed. "Five minutes?" He asked. "Five minutes." She nodded her head eagerly as he pressed a button. She heard the buzz of the door and he opened the door for her. "Thank you, Sir." She called as she entered the building.

She twisted her fingers across her clothes and the water came out of her clothes. Lin Beifong had said this was where Tahno lived. Korra's eyes wandered around the entrance. It had white marble floors with ebony Doric columns rising high above her. In front of each column there was a palm tree swaying gently. It was nothing like the Water Tribe could ever conjure even though the Water Tribe did have ice columns. She smiled briefly at the pleasantry before remembering her mission. Korra charged towards the desk where a white haired woman sat reading a book.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Korra said trying to get the elder woman's attention. The receptionist stared at her book and Korra noticed the cover had a well muscled man with a maiden clinging to him. She rolled her eyes at the romance novel. "Ma'am?" She said louder and this time the woman threw her trashy book under her desk in a panic. There was red on her cheeks. "Yes, Avatar Korra, how can I help you?" The receptionist asked, clearly flustered by being caught reading such a novel.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where Tahno, the pro-bending champion, lives?" Korra asked. The lady bit her lip and sorrow traced the lines of her voice. "He has been in such a...Horrible place. I am sure he would be glad to see a friend. His apartment is 4A. Take the stairs and turn right." She smiled warmly at the avatar. Korra smiled back and noticed the name plate. "Thank you...Kari." Korra called and waved before marching off to the stairs.

She could still hear the rain patter against the building as she climbed the steps. Her hands held the water container making sure it was still there. There were rumors flying about Tahno and how he was acting. Apparently his "friends" deserted him after he lost his bending. Even the short haired girl who had been clinging to him the first time Korra met him. If Mako and Bolin ever left her, she was not sure how she would react and especially if she lost her bending. Last night, Tahno reportedly was thrown out of a bar for punching one of the waiters in a drunken rage. He had screamed, "Amon, you bastard!" As he punched the waiter. Korra sighed. Before his bending had been taken, Tahno carried an aura of arrogance and coolness, now he was full of rage and self pity. This was why Korra was here. To drag him out of the cycle and bring him back to society and his arrogant self.

Finally reaching the fourth level, Korra turned to the right. As the receptionist had said there was 4A and the expected smell of liquor lingered by the door. Korra bristled and formed a fist now knowing the reports were true. She raised her hand to the door and knocked on 4A. There was a clash of glass bottles and a shuffle to the door before it opened.

The man behind the door peered at her briefly before his eyes widened. His hands clung at the handle for support which alerted her to his drinking. He did not look a thing like he had the night of the championship. His hair, although shiny, had not been properly cared for in weeks and disheveled. A slight stubble resided on his face. The clothes he wear were loose and worn, even stained. Where was Tahno, the cocky prince of everything fabulous and perfect? Her fist tightened.

"Avatar?" He asked, his pale eyes reaching her face. She had planned to stay longer, but seeing Tahno is such a horrid state she wanted to blast his face with water and tell him to move on. Instead she reached into her coat and dragged out the water container. It was a cone covered to bright blue fabric with water symbols glazing it. "Here, I brought you this." She said. "To remind you of who you are because clearly you do not." She offered the cone to him.

"What is it?" Tahno slurred and drool ran down his mouth. _Disgusting. _She looped the cone's string around her right wrist. His breath reeked of alcohol and then his knees fell to the ground. "Tahno! Are you alright?" Korra caught him and lifted his face. His eyes were droopy and glazed over. "Come on, you need to sit down." The avatar lifted arm over his shoulder and led his towards a white couch. "Thanks," He mumbled as she rolled him on the couch. She pressed her hand against his forehead. It was warm, but nothing to be fearful for. Before she knew it, she heard him snore.

_I better stay with him until he wakes up._ She sighed then looked around the apartment. Everywhere she looked she saw glass bottles litter the apartment floor and kitchen counters. Cabbage's Gin, Moledog Schnapps, or Viperfang's Vodka. Besides the reek of liquor, Korra noticed his space was a rather stylish fit that suited him. Most of the furniture was white. Korra wandered around the apartment, waiting for him to wake up. His kitchen had black granite counter with white cabinets and black appliances. The coffee table next to the couch there was a few bottles full of liquid.

She ventured down a hallway and looked into one room. It must have been his bedroom because there was a huge poster of his face behind a low level bed. Except his face was ripped to shreds. It must have been his doing. Beneath the giant window there was a white futon lined with navy blue. Rain splattered against the clear glass. The storm was getting worse. _As long as it does not thunder and lightning. _Korra winced at the thought of the clashing sounds. The grey blankets were threw across the floor along with his fine clothes. Even more bottles littered the floors. Rage consumed her body and she shook with it. She picked up a few of the empty bottles in the trash bin before she heard a moan from outside.

Korra walked back to the living space where Tahno was rubbing his eyes. Korra sat down on the couch with folded arms, not bothering to clean up the bottles. "What are you doing to yourself?" She spat, not bothering to butter up the conversation. He glanced at her before picking up a Viperfang's Vodka bottle and popping off the lid. "What does it look like?" He challenged watching her and lifted the glass to his lips. When she first met him, she challenged him to a fight. "Go for it." He said back then, now she would go for it. It had been infuriating to have some random cocky jerk dare her into a fight, but also odd. No one ever challenged the avatar and he was one of the first. She had to give him props for it.

Korra bended the liquid so it splashed on his face and continued to glare at the man. Drops dripped from his shirt. He spit out the alcohol and wiped it from his eyes. He could not waterbend it anymore. "You will stoop to this face. It is pathetic, Tahno." She began her rant. He watched her with unfocused eyes. "You were the pro-bending champion for years. You were surrounded by friends and people adored you. Where's the Tahno who made dramatic presentations before each round? Huh?" She pestered.

"With his bending, I believe." Tahno stated with wistful eyes and tried a cocky smile. It did not work on his gaunt face and untidy hair falling across his face. "No. You are the Tahno who did all that, with bending or not." Korra replied. "Tahno, when I first met you. You asked if I wanted lessons, but the thing is you are the one who needs them." She moved closer to him.

"Yes, Amon took your bending away. Yes, you probably won't get it back, but you still have your life." Korra stated resolutely. "Hmmmmm..." He mused. He looked away from Korra and reached for a different bottle. Korra slapped the bottle away and it dropped to the floor with a thud, but did not break. "Stop it!" She screamed and held his wrist in her hand to keep his from reaching for another glass. "I have nothing now, why shouldn't I?" He asked letting his eyes rest on her hand clutching his wrist before traveling to meet her clear blue eyes.

Tahno was a defeated man. The circles under his eyes marked him as one. She missed the black haired guy who defied her and threw his hair around like it was another trophy. Now his hair was deflated ago with his whole persona and aura. Where was that guy? The one she would think about late at night and would cause her to tighten her fist and punch her pillow. Now his pale grey eyes glistened with loss of purpose and focus. There was no risk beyond them only defeat.

"If you were ever a waterbender you would not be doing this to yourself." Korra reasoned still meeting his eyes, never leaving them. Everyone else left him. "I've been broken. Do you understand what that is like...?" His voice faltered and tightened his hands. "He took a part of me away, a part of me that I can never get back." His head dropped and I felt a wetness drop onto my hand. "When I walk in the rain, it soaks my clothes. I try to move it away from me, but it does not do anything." One of his hand gripped his head. "Then I remember I can't bend and I relive this moment where Amon placed his hand on my forehead and took it like it was weed." His hand grasped his hair and pulled his black hair. More rain hit the window. I tightened my grip around his wrist, letting him know I was there in the moment with him.

"Amon will pay for what he did and you will get better if you off your arse and start living. You are letting Amon win when you drink." She encouraged. "I cannot imagine what it is like not being able to bend, but please, Tahno, do not do this to yourself. Water is about healing, yet you damage your spirit and body with these drinks. You are not respecting the element you once called your own." She added. This time she let go of his wrist and let him decide. It took a few moments of silence before he reached for another bottle and tossed it behind him. She heard a clash into a bin.

"Are you going to help, Avatar?" He asked meeting her eyes. This time his defeated eyes taunted her. She smiled, knowing she had gotten through to him. "Or are you just going to sit there and look pretty?" Tahno asked with a slight grin. It was not up to pare with the first grin she ever received from him, but it would do for now. "Not a chance, Pretty Boy." She teased. They rose from the couch and Korra made her way to the kitchen. She begun bending the alcohol into the kitchen sink of the half full bottles. As for Tahno, he picked the bottles off the floor and tossed them into a trash bin. They worked in moderate silence, rain still hit the side of the apartment, until they cleared the living space and kitchen. While she bended like the alcohol into the sink he would come around take the bottles away. They functioned well together, never getting in the way of one another and never waiting for one to finish a task so the other could complete it.

"There's some in your bedroom as well." Korra acknowledged. The ex-waterbender gave her a funny look, but said nothing further. Tahno walked down the hall and into his bedroom. Korra followed him into the room surrounded in steel blue walls. "What did you do to that?" Korra asked, pointing towards the ripped poster. Tahno twisted his head to look at his handsome face. "That was after everyone left..."His voice trailed off as he reached for an empty bottle and threw it into the trash can. "Let's just get on with this." He requested. Korra nodded, not pushing the subject, and gathered other bottles around the room.

After she tossed the last bottle from her side of the room she noticed Tahno sitting on the futon to her right. Light flickered across his face from the city lights. His right elbow rested on the end of the futon as he watched the rain splash against the glass. There was a sincerity and calm to the ex-bender as his eyes trailed a racing water droplet. "I really do miss it." He mused, still watching the rain. Korra made her way towards him. He would be fine by himself now. "I think I am going to leave, Tahno. I told the door man I would only be five minutes." She recalled the gentle door man. She begun to turn, but then she felt his hand grab her wrist. Korra looked back and saw the man leaning towards her gripping her wrist. Her eyes stared at his hand, it was stark white, then she met his desperate eyes."No, please...please don't leave me like everyone else." He pleaded. His grey hues were wide and fearful of being left alone.

Korra exhaled deeply and sat down next to Tahno. His hand loosened its' hold on her wrist as she settle only inches away from the dark haired man. They sat in silence watching the rain dash down the window. Suddenly there was a flash of lightning striking against the sky. Korra winced as an uncalled reaction to the energy line. Tahno looked back at the Avatar. "Are you scared of lightning?" He asked with a bemused look on his face.

"No." She answered immediately and looked away from him. _It was the clash after the lightning._ "I see...So what is that?" He asked pointing to the cone wrapped around her right wrist. She took the cone off. "Water from the spirit oasis in the North Pole." She replied. He grabbed the pouch from her and handled it with care. His eyes lightened seeing it. "Why would you give this to me?" He asked staring at the heavenly object. "I thought it would remind you of where you come from and who you are. Besides, you need it more than me." She explained. He smiled then glanced at her. "My grandparents came from the swamps, not the either of the Poles. The waterbenders from the Poles would be in a fit if they realized you were giving this to a lowly swamp bender." He noted calmly.

It was true. The waterbenders from the swamps were looked down upon by the ones from the Poles. In the Poles there was a civilized nation. There were marriage arrangements between families, formal events, and other important societal objects like markets or parks. But the swamp, all the rules were thrown to the corner. Everyone was on their own and fought with teeth and nail instead of pen and paper. To the Poles, the swamp was full of savages, not worthy of society.

"Thanks, Avatar." Tahno asserted as he held the pouch tighter before setting it down on the end table. She knew better than to bring up his swamp ancestors. "You can call me Korra, you know." She commented. This time Tahno smirked. "I know, Avatar." He teased before she heard the clash of thunder and a flash of light. It boomed and reminded her of the nights her mother would whisper sweet things into her ear during the thunderstorms. Korra jumped and found herself in Tahno's lap.

"Sorry. That was uncalled for. I just-" Korra rushed to get away, but then she felt his arms encircle her. She tensed and then flinched as another thunderclap went past. "We both need comfort sometimes." He reasoned. She took in a deep breath and relaxed into the ex-bender. His breath was relaxed as her heart beat against her chest. The sound of thunder scared her and she did not even know why, but this man was offering her a silent comfort and she would take it.

Tahno put his chin on her right shoulder and inhaled her scent. "You smell nice. Like the day after it rains." He admitted softly. She cocked her head around to look at the pale man. Their eyes met and there was a sense of calm about the grey pools. "Thank you...?" She half questioned, unsure of how to respond to him. He grinned at her uncertainty. "Take it as it is, Avatar." He advised as more thunder and lightning raced across the sky. Korra shivered.

"It's just thunder." Tahno whispered in her ear. He rubbed her arm to give her reassurance. Her eyes risked a look at the weather outside. The rain hit the window harder than before. She looked back at the man she was sitting on. "I know, but..." Her voice trailed away. This time his eyes hardened while looking at the Avatar. His arms hugged her tightly against his chest. "I understand unexplainable nightmares. I lived through one." He reminded her. "Thank you, Tahno." She said letting the tension ease away. She nestled her head in his neck breathed in. He smelled like the day after it rain under the liquor. They were one in the same.


End file.
